Twisted Truths

by Rebecca Zanetti

  He cupped her breast, rubbing his thumb across her needy nipple. Then he shoved up inside her farther, his hips controlling hers. She arched her back against her own wrists, losing herself in the vicious pleasure. He did it again, the glide of him inside her brushing nerves she’d forgotten about. Nerves that only Denver had ever owned. As if they belonged to him. She pulled against his hold, instinctively trying to release herself and find some control. Escape this hold he had on her.

  One she’d forgotten was so damn intense.

  “I’ve got you, baby,” he said in a rough voice. “You’re safe.”

  She was nowhere near safe, but at his low voice, she eased into his hold.

  “There you go. Let me show you.” He moved, his hand sliding down to her hip, his strength easily allowing him to lift her to meet his thrusts. Her thoughts scattered, and her nerves focused on the devastating sensations spiraling out. He pinched her nipple, the rough pain pulling her deeper into his spell. His thrusts grew harder and faster, deeper inside her.

  Her fears and concerns faded away, replaced by the hard cock inside her, the strength of the body surrounding her, the determined fingers on her breasts. There was a gentleness to him, a sweetness she’d barely glimpsed before. The rise to ecstasy was sharp and edged with pain, and yet she kept trying to climb. Finally, she caught on the edge, teetering before falling into nothingness.

  “Go over,” he murmured, pinching her other nipple.

  Lightning flashed hot and sharp up her spine and exploded in white-hot light in her head, flooding her body with a primal sensation so raw she actually screamed. He released her hands and grabbed her hips with both hands, hammering faster and deeper. Finally, he dropped his head into the crook of her neck, his powerful body shuddering with his own climax.

  She slid both hands around his shoulders, kissing his salty neck. Her heart beat rapidly against his, and they both breathed quickly. She blinked but didn’t lift up, her entire body boneless. She’d wanted a release. What she’d gotten was so much more.

  But what now?

  Chapter

  16

  The early sun rose over the mountain across the lake as Denver sat in front of the fire, legs out, typing furiously on his laptop. He’d just upped the bid on the baby and had needed something else to occupy his mind. So he’d gone out and repaired the SUV as much as possible by covering the broken windows with plastic.

  Now he was back inside searching through traffic camera footage in Snowville for the date Elton Cobb had visited Detective Malloy. Cobb had to be on camera somewhere. Denver’s search for plane tickets hadn’t found anything.

  So Cobb had driven.

  What did that mean? Was Madison’s new headquarters close to Snowville? If so, was Noni safe in Coeur d’Alene? Denver closed his eyes and used his enhanced hearing to check the area around the cabin. Snow falling, deer moving, wind rustling pine needles. No people. So far, nobody knew where they were. Could he keep her safe?

  He heard her at the doorway before she moved into the room. Partially turning his head, he watched her carefully. After taking her on the sofa, he’d moved them into the bedroom, and they hadn’t gotten much sleep. It was as if he couldn’t get enough of her. Every sigh, every moan, every cry had dug into his heart and planted hard. This morning she’d put on yoga pants and a thin green T-shirt, sans the bra. Her movements were slow and a little stilted, and he winced. “Too much?” Of course it had been too much. He’d barely let her catch her breath before taking her again. And then again.

  “No.” She stepped barefoot across the thick rug and headed for the coffee in the kitchen. “But I no longer have a bra.”

  He couldn’t see that as being a problem. “We can get you a new one.”

  “Humph.” She poured herself a cup and turned, her dark hair a wild mass down her back. Her lips were swollen from his, and a slight whisker burn had pinkened her cheeks.

  Probably her inner thighs, too. At the thought, his groin hardened. Possession flushed through him with a hard edge. How could he ever let her go again?

  What about the baby? Noni had committed to being a mom. He had no clue what to do with a baby. With his life, anybody close to him was in danger. Until he took out Cobb and Madison. He shook his head, trying to dispel the onslaught of thoughts he couldn’t control. What was wrong with him? “There’s sugar in the cupboard above the coffee maker.”

  She took a sip of it black, her gaze over the cup. “Why are you up so early?”

  He lifted a shoulder. “A lot going on. I’m trying to track safe houses for the Kingdom Boys in town, trying to keep an eye on the FBI, and trying to monitor emergency frequencies just to make sure nobody has found me.”

  Her eyes sharpened. “That’s a lot.”

  “Yep.” He started to set the laptop to the side when a traffic cam near Malloy’s caught his eye. Three suited-up men in a truck, driving slowly. There was something wrong about them. Something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Heat coated his esophagus, and he lunged for his phone.

  “What—” she started to ask.

  He held up a hand as Malloy’s voice-mail message came on the line. After the beep, he finally spoke. “Malloy? Get the hell out of your house. It looks like unfriendlies are headed your way, and they’ve had time to regroup and send reinforcements. Get Tina and get out.” Denver jumped to his feet and ran to pull on his boots. “I have to go.”

  Noni hustled for her boots and started dragging them on.

  “No.” He grasped her arm to halt her movements. “You’re not coming.”

  She jerked free. “The heck I’m not. I started all this, and you may need backup. I can point a gun and shoot if necessary.” Panic paled her face. “What if we put Malloy and Tina in danger?”

  Oh, they’d definitely put the cop and his lady in danger. “You have to stay here.”

  Noni reached for her coat. “Not a chance. Geez. Don’t you ever watch television?”

  Denver gripped his leather jacket. “What are you talking about?”

  She pulled on her coat, her eyes wide. “It’s always the chick left behind who ends up taken and used for leverage. You know. What if they managed to trace us here?” Leaning down, she starting lacing up the boots.

  He zipped his jacket. “Too much cloud cover. No satellite vision.”

  “You think.” She straightened and poked him in the chest. “You can’t be a hundred percent sure. Or what if they hacked your phone call with your brother? Or your computer?”

  He jerked back, oddly affronted. “Nobody hacks my computer.”

  “Says you.” She tucked her hands in her pockets. “Maybe the guy who gave us the car is working for them and secretly followed us.”

  Every scenario she played out got crazier, yet there was always a slim chance. “You’re nuts.”

  “Maybe.” She turned for the door. “But you and I are sticking together. Period.”

  Having her close to him helped him to concentrate, and he couldn’t guarantee her safety if he left. Damn it. He opened a cupboard by the door and drew out several weapons, handing her a gun. “No safety on it. If you point, you shoot. So don’t point unless you want to shoot.”

  She swallowed and turned the weapon over in her hands. “I think I like having a safety.”

  “Too bad. When we get there, you do what I tell you to do.” He handed her his burner phone and opened the door, adrenaline surging through his veins. “We know that Cobb and Madison have found us, and by now, they know who you are. When we get in the car, call your aunt and tell her to get out of Portland. Have them use cash only and start driving toward South Dakota.” He had to get those ladies safe. At the moment, nobody in his life was remotely safe. “Got it?”

  She paled even more but followed him out into the freezing air. It was only about five in the morning and darkness still ruled.

  Next time he went on an op, he wanted it to be somewhere warm. “Follow me. We’ll have to hurry.” God, he hoped he could get to
Malloy in time. Running through the snow, he jumped into the SUV and waited until Noni had secured her seat belt before hitting the gas and speeding up the icy lane. “Sorry about the plastic on the window, but at least we’re warmer now.” There wasn’t anything he could do about the bullet holes in the ceiling.

  He listened as she called her aunt with the terse directions and then hung up after exchanging I love yous.

  What would it be like to automatically have that sentiment from her at the end of every call? He rubbed his chest and focused his attention back on the disaster at hand. “We might not get there in time.” If the cop or Tina got killed because they’d helped him, he’d never forgive himself. “Hand me the phone, would you?”

  She slipped it into his hand.

  Oh, Malloy was gonna kill him if this was a mistake. Denver dialed 911 and spoke in a high voice. “Hello? Yeah. Um. There’s something going on at 2124 Meadowlark. You know? Where that cop lives with the pretty lady with long legs? Men with guns. They have on face masks. Hurry.” Denver clicked off and handed the phone to Noni. “Break that apart and throw pieces out the window toward the lake every several yards.”

  She gulped in air but took the phone and pulled it apart before setting it on the floor and smashing it with her boots. Then she followed his instructions. “Malloy is going to be pissed if we’re wrong.”

  “Yeah, but at least he’ll be alive. If Madison’s guys are there, then the local cops will go in hard and fast.”

  Noni retaped the bottom of her window. “You don’t think Madison and Cobb would go after a cop, do you?”

  Denver gritted his teeth. “They’d absolutely go after a police officer. The good news, kind of, is that Dr. Madison wouldn’t want Malloy dead. Yet.”

  “What do you mean?” Noni asked, her voice shaking.

  Denver wanted to reach for her hand, but he had to keep both of his on the steering wheel. The twists and turns of the icy lake road demanded his full attention. They slid around a corner, and he stopped breathing but couldn’t slow down. “They’ll want to question him about us. About me.” Tina could be collateral damage, however. Also, Malloy would definitely fight back, so he might be killed. Denver increased his speed, his mind spinning. “There should be a few more burner phones in the glove box. Grab one, would you?” He took a turn too fast, and the car fishtailed. Swearing, he brought it under control.

  They traveled the rest of the way toward Malloy’s house in silence with Denver driving way too fast for the conditions.

  “Do you need the phone?” Noni finally asked.

  “Not yet.” The second he turned the vehicle into the subdivision, his gut sank. Flames licked into the dawn, and sirens wailed from every direction. “Fuck.” He slowed down and drove through the streets, coming upon Malloy’s house engulfed in fire. Cops, firefighters, and neighbors milled around.

  An ambulance roared by, heading for the main street.

  A car followed it with Tina hunched over the steering wheel.

  Thank God. She was okay. Denver squinted to see better. A man in black sat in the passenger side, facing her. Ah shit. Denver swallowed, forcing control through his veins. He’d put a defenseless veterinarian into danger.

  He drove down the street a ways and turned around in the plowed driveway of a small ranch house. His heartbeat thundered in his ears. “Sweetheart? Tina’s in trouble.” He kept his voice low and drove sedately past the melee before punching the gas. Within minutes, he was behind Tina’s car, which was racing behind the ambulance.

  Noni leaned forward. “Why do you think she’s in trouble? She’s following the ambulance. Oh no. Do you think Malloy is in the ambulance?”

  “Yes.” Denver bit back panic. The guy next to Tina was tall and wasn’t dressed like a cop. Denver reached for the phone and quickly dialed Jory. They had to get Tina free. Now.

  “What’s going on?” Jory asked without preamble.

  “I think they came after Malloy, but I’m not sure.” Denver sped up, trying to get closer to Tina’s car, spinning over the ice.

  Something clicked over the line. “What can we do?” Jory asked, his voice low.

  Denver took a deep breath. “We have to get him out of here. I need transport for Malloy, if he’s able. If not, I still need transport for his girlfriend, Tina. I also need all the on-hand cash you have. I wasn’t going to ask, but since you’re sending a copter, add the cash. I’ll pay you back.” The world was squeezing him, and he was letting everyone down. Danger was everywhere. The list of people he needed to save kept growing while his time did not.

  “Copy that,” Jory said, all business. “Give me a minute.”

  Denver put the phone on speaker and slapped it onto the seat before yanking his gun from his waist. “I’m going to run her off the road, baby. Try to stay loose and get ready. Don’t point the gun.”

  “Okay,” she said.

  “Denver?” Jory came over the speakerphone clearly. “We have a helicopter heading your way. I’m sending coordinates to this phone. It’ll be there in thirty minutes for whoever wants to get on, and I’m having them bring all the cash we have from that location. Then I’m coming your way.”

  “Not yet,” Denver said. He couldn’t look out for one more person.

  Jory’s growl was full of frustration. “We’ll see. If you need help with the baby drop, I’m there. Just say the word. Let me know the second you have intel on Malloy. He’s one of ours, whether he likes it or not.”

  “Agreed.” Denver shook out his arms. He had to calm himself. Now.

  The phone went quiet and Denver clicked off the call.

  “You guys can just get helicopters?” Noni asked, her knuckles white from her grip on the gun.

  Denver shook his head. “I can’t. But my relatives in Montana have a kind of protection and private military business. That’s how we have the supplies and guns. And helicopters.”

  “Crazy.” She straightened up, tension pouring from her. “What if that’s a cop with Tina?”

  He grimaced. “Then we’re fucked.” Waiting until the road around them was clear, he moved to pass on the right side, took a deep breath, and swerved into the rear of Tina’s car. Metal crunched loudly, and he slid on the ice. The small compact jerked and then spun, turning around several times before crashing into brick pillars of another subdivision. Within seconds, Tina was out of the car and running for him, blood flowing down her face.

  Denver leaped from the car, his gun out.

  She reached him and grabbed his arms, incoherently coughing. He shoved her behind him just as the guy in the car shook his head as if dazed. Then he snapped up and leaped from the car.

  “Get in,” Denver ordered, lifting his gun.

  The man lifted his hands, a gun visible in his waistband. Bruises already formed along his temple, but his eyes were clear. And unafraid. Definitely one of Madison’s soldiers.

  Tina yanked open the back door. “We have to get to Jamie. The ambulance driver isn’t a real one. I mean, he’s one of those guys. Who are those guys?” Her voice had risen to a panicked shrillness.

  With barely a twitch, the guy went for his gun.

  Denver fired, hitting him center mass. He flew back into the pillars, dropping onto his face.

  Tina screamed and jumped into the car.

  Denver slid back inside and gunned the engine. “He’s probably wearing a vest.” In that case, he’d be out for a little while. If not, well, he’d be headed for hell. Denver pulled back onto the road. “How bad are you hurt?”

  Tina lifted her shirt and wiped the cut above her eyebrow. “Not bad. We were in bed, and then everything went crazy. The police burst in every door.”

  Denver sped up, trying to find the damn ambulance. “The police got there first?”

  Tina gulped, still wiping her face. “Yeah. So we got out of bed, and suddenly somebody started shooting through the window with guns and a flamethrower.”

  Denver’s hands tightened on the wheel. “A fucking flame
thrower?”

  “Yeah. Jamie got shot, all the cops shot back, but they didn’t get the guy. So we got out of there while everything started on fire.” Her voice broke on the last. “An ambulance came, and they loaded Jamie. Then I was going for my car when that guy grabbed my arm and pushed me inside.” She swiped a hand across her tears. “Jamie’s friends from the force are expecting us at the hospital. I said I’d meet them there.” Tears mingled with the blood on her cheek. “I should’ve just gone with one of them, but I wanted my car. So stupid.”

  “No. Not stupid,” Denver countered, his breath heated. “If you’d gone with them, we wouldn’t know that somebody else has Malloy. How did you know he was in danger?”

  She gulped. “The guy with a gun to my side told me. He said we were taking a little trip.”

  Denver nodded grimly. All right. He had to get to that ambulance. “How badly was Malloy hurt?”

  “I don’t know,” Tina whispered, her voice trembling. “I just don’t know.”

  Chapter

  17

  Dr. Isobel Madison crossed her legs and typed quickly, trying to bring up a satellite feed. Nothing. She clenched her fingers into fists and then tried again. The U.S. government was getting so much better at protecting its resources. She took a deep breath and reached for a cell phone. “Status,” she said coolly.

  “Have the cop, and we have the girlfriend in a car following the ambulance,” came the short response. “Cop’s been shot.”

  “How bad?” Isobel snapped. It wouldn’t do to lose Detective Malloy before she had time to interrogate him.

  Her soldier cleared his throat. “One in the arm, one in the leg. We stabilized him at the scene before leaving. He figured out we weren’t legit, so I had to give him a sedative.”

  “That’s all right,” Isobel said. “Time until rendezvous point?”

  “Thirty minutes.”

  The rendezvous point was an abandoned lot on the other side of the mountain where her one and only helicopter could land. There was a time when she’d had a fleet of them under her command. She sighed. “All right. Don’t let him die.”